07/18/00 -- Out-of-Mind Experiences

And things I can't talk about

This entry is going to be full of a whole lot of things I can't talk about.  So expect it to not say much.

Critiques this morning.  I owe someone more than just a beer.  Afterwards, Maureen told us important things about autographing.  Something I don't think many of us expect to need to worry about for a while, yet.  She told us that most people want legible signatures.  Or very unique signatures (like de Lint's).  Whatever.  So we practiced a bit.

I'm waffling over what name to write under.  Doesn't it just figure?  I settle on publishing under my real name and then get asked (okay, a week ago, now) why I'm not publishing under Aynjel.  So I'm practicing my signature trying out different combinations of my name and Aynjel and stuff.  Then she asks us to sign one of the Clarion reading posters.  Wowzers.  Guess we needed this sooner than we'd expect.  :)  It was weird, but really cool. :)

My wrists have been driving me batty.  Really batty.  I just want them to go away.

I have a plan for mischief, but it was hatched in my head so late that I may run out of time before it can be fully formed.  I may wind up with scrambled eggs instead of chicken.

Jennifer and Mark and I went to Chili's for lunch, then to Target.  Back to campus.

Jennifer and I talked and free-wrote down in the laundry room while she did laundry.  Then we walked with Trey to [censored for protection of the plan], but we were too late.  Tomorrow.  It'll happen tomorrow.

Dinner wound up happening in Van Hoosen.  Chris and Jim hatched their own plan: pizza.  So pizza happened in Van Hoosen.

I'd hauled myself over there a bit before dinner was supposed to happen to read and critique.  Jennifer read "Sisters and Sirens" for me and gave me some feedback.  The things that had made me cry when I wrote it apparently didn't get in there.  I don't know if that's good or bad.  I made some changes to it, some at her suggestion, some because I found places that did need a little bit more.  I'll turn it in tomorrow morning.  My last story of Clarion, I think.  Unless this little nagging idea that happened while I was packing my laptop up to come back upstairs to my room actually does something.  I'm not going to push it.  I'm tired.  Actually, I'm more than tired.  My brain is worth less than oatmeal right now.  If I can critique coherently for the next three days, I think I'll be lucky.

Three more days.  Wow.  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.  We're really almost there.  I'm totally blown away by this.

Almost.  Almost.

Hilary -- I don't know that I can write anything more.  *grin*  I'd love to churn out another story this week, but I need to stop.  I'm going to spend as much time talking to people and being around people as I can.  I'm resenting the oil change/service I have to do on my car Thursday afternoon because it'll mean less time to spend around folks (though Jennifer and I are planning to free-write).  Eight stories in six weeks is more than I thought I'd write.  More than I feared I'd be able to write.  So I'm in good shape (in the story department -- head-wise, I'm not all here, still).

I'm thinking about a novel, too.  Thinking really hard about it.  And when I do, I can smell something burning.  It smells like oatmeal.

I may need to wait a little while.  Not too long.  If I wait too long, what's there is going to go away.  And I don't mean the ideas.  I mean the impetuous to write it now.  Maybe I'll leave it until the Tuesday I'm home and deal with it then... Outline it.  Storyboard it.  Something.  I need to find a structure for it that mirrors what I've got, or at least works with what I've already got.

I'm afraid for "Sisters and Sirens".  I'll probably bring Lansing to the critique (if we have time to get to critique it) ... unless it is raining.  Actually, I may bring Henry.  He'd be a lot more appropriate.  And he'd understand.  (Henry is a stuffed dog I've had for a long long time.  He's been almost everywhere with me -- except Australia.  He's been through the inspiration for the story with me, too.  He'll understand if I cry and I don't think he'll care.)

Anyway... I think it's almost bedtime for me.  I need sleep now more than I have since I got here, I think.  Week one, I was fine.  Week two I started napping.  Week three, back to no naps.  Week four... I hit a wall.  I had to start sleeping again.  At night.  If I didn't, I was going to get sick.  I could feel it hovering.  Last week I waffled between the bare minimum of enough sleep and just a bit too little.  This week... Well, I'm trying to hit that bare minimum of enough because I'll be bitter at the time sleeping takes away from other things if I get more than that.

 

Okay, so other folks are talking about their productivity here.  I decided I may as well, too. This list (and my productivity) is subject to change without notice. :)
Title	Word Count	Finished	Critiqued?
"Where the Blood Roses Grow" Week one, first story.  Wahoo.  And I was worried that something wouldn't come.	5000	6/13	6/15
"Uprooting the Tree" Will probably change the title at some point.	3400	6/16	6/19
"Mockingbird Girl" I think I'm happiest with this story, so far.	2800	6/19	6/26
"Poor as Paupers, Rich as Royalty" My challenge story from Sean's week.  I hated writing it.  It gave me a toothache.	2000	6/22
That fucking first person narrative (not yet complete) - May never be completed.  Don't I feel like an idiot...	(400)
"Switched to Overload"  (That other fucking first person narrative) Actually, I like this one better than the one above it ...  Even if it did wind up being two first person narratives in one story.  o.O	4900	6/27	7/3
"Sweeter Than Honey, Stronger Than Wine"  (My Tananrive Due challenge story.  Write a story in the style of an author whose work you admire.  Aieee!  It was sort of supposed to be in the style of Tanith Lee.  I'm not sure I hit that.  But it's definitely got a Christina Rossetti influence.)	9200	7/2	7/10
"Hypothetical Beaches" I really hope it turns out to be not quite as stupid as I feel like it is.  Finished it just before Maureen and Greg's 24-hour moratorium on writing.  (In case you're wondering, it started from a free-write.)	2800	7/10	7/13
"From Time to Time" (unfinished) Fucked if I know what this is going to turn into if it will turn into anything over the next couple of days.  It's twisted.  Or at least a little gross.	(837)
"Sisters and Sirens" It's first person.  Ugh.  You'd think I'd've learned after "Switched to Overload".  Feh.  I think I like it, but I'm not sure.  Everything I thought was in there isn't, but I don't know how I can put it in there ... or if I really want to.  The stuff that isn't in there is in my head and makes me cry.	3800	7/18